Wrapping paper fixture



y 1939- F. H. LAWTON WRAPPING PAPER FIXTURE Filed June 19, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet l y 1939- F. H. LAWTON 2,156,502

WRAPPING PAPER FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1937 FIG.

5 Q INVE NTOR Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements ina wrapping paper fixture and embodies a spring actuated, manuallyoperated, strip feeding and cutting device,

wherein a pair of spring urged gripping jaws are carried by a pair ofarms spaced apart to straddle a roll of paper, and said arms areswingingly mounted and spring urged away from the roll of paper towardswhich they are manually movable by the simple procedure of pressingagainst an apron carried by the pivotally mounted jaw of said pair,whichsingle effort opens said gripping jaws and advances them towardsthe roll of paper from which a leading strip 15 passes between thegripping jaws. Upon release of the gripping jaws, the leading strip ofpaper is quickly grasped therebetween and the gripping jaws move awayfrom the roll of paper and carry the leading strip away from the rollwhich 90 isthereby caused to turn by the spring urged movement of saidarms which carry the gripping jaws.

One or both of the gripping jaws serves as a blade for manually tearingthe paper, and after a the paper is thus torn away, the leading strip isheld between the gripping jaws and immediately ready for deliverythereby when said jaws are again opened and swingingly moved towards theroll of paper and then released; whereupon 3 the gripping jaws willgrasp the paper and effectively deliver a free end of suflicient lengthto afford a convenient grasp, so that any desired amount of paper can bemanually unwound from the roll and then torn off against the blade ofthe gripping jaws which efiectively hold the paper in close contact withthe blade for eflicient and straight tearing.

The device is simple in construction, and the parts are so arranged thatnone of the instrumentalities project beyond the vertical tangent to thefront of the full roll of paper; which feature is of paramountimportance, for the reason that it prevents tearing of the clothing andsnagging of the skin of workers who crowd past each other in narrowaisles where wrapping paper fixtures are commonly situated.

The invention also embodies improved constructions for accommodatingthin flimsy wrap-- ping paper which is easily flexed. For this purpose,in close proximity to said gripping jaws, there is provided a supportmember over which the leading strip of paper is passed, and means isprovided for holding the leading strip in close contact to said supportso that there will be no 55 inopportune movement or flexing of theleading strip which is thereby held at a point sufficiently near to thegripping jaws so as to preclude the flexing and buckling which wouldotherwise occur were the leading strip not mechanically held in closeproximity to the gripping jaws. I

The invention also embodies an improved construction and arrangement ofthe parts wherein the center of gravity is displaced rearwardly of thecenter of the device so as to thereby effectively resist the force whichis inherent to the 10 forward pull exerted when the paper is unwoundfrom the roll. This construction materially lessens the common fault ofsuch fixtures to become rickety. The same improved constructioneliminates the usual necessity for an expansive base or feet which arein general use on such devices, and also eliminates the necessity forend standards reaching above the top of the roll of paper and alsoeliminates the head rail generally used to connect such end standards;and at the same time provides a more sturdy and durable device which ismore compact and also of more elegant appearance.

In the present disclosure the invention is shown so that it can bereadily applied to the various wrapping paper fixtures in general use;and is also shown in the preferred form which constitutes a unitarystructure as a whole.

The accompanying drawings show the best modes which have been devised,including the form in which the invention has been reduced to practiceand marketed; and it will be understood that changes may be made withoutdeparting from the principle and scope of the invention defined in theappended claims.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section, showing the inventionapplied to a wrapping paper fixture in general use.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the invention applied to aconventional wrapping paper fixture, and including the strip supportingmember and a gravity contacting member therefor; the strip feeding andcutting device being shown in manually operated position.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, showing the preferredform of the invention in total, and including the strip deflectingmember and a spring contact therefor.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5 of Fig. 4, and with thewrapper roll shown in phantom.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing a different mode of applying theinvention to a conventional wrapping paper fixture, and with the wrapperroll shown in phantom.

In carrying out my invention I employ the strip feeding and cuttingdevice which is co]- lectively designated as the unit P, and which iscommon to each of the several figures of the drawings. As best seen inFig. 1 and Fig. 2 thisunit P comprises a blade 2 rigid with a pair ofarms iii-l6 which are spaced apart and positioned astraddle the ends ofa roll of wrapping paper such as W; and carried by these arms is agripping jaw 22 pivoted as indicated at 2l2| and carrying an apron 25which serves as a leverage plate for manually operating the gripping jawon its pivots. The arms !5l6 are swingingly mounted as indicated at!i!'! and are spring urged as indicated at I8!8; and preferably, thissame spring [8 also urges the jaw 22 against the blade 24; however,separate springs may be used for these two purposes, as is indicated atl8a and IS in Fig. 6. As will be apparent from Fig. 2, when handpressure is exerted against the apron 25 the pivoted jaw 22 will bemoved away from the blade 24, and further pressure will swing the entireunit P on the pivots I! and cause it to assume the position shown inFig. 3 where the jaws are shown in open position. Suitable stop meanssuch as S limit the opening of the jaws, and it should be mentioned thatonly slight opening is necessary, say about one sixteenth of an inch,which is sufiicient to assure that the leading strip of paper will passfreely between the jaws as indicated at L in Fig. 3. These jaws swing inan arc, and the extent of movement is limited by suitable stop means,such as indicated at S. This improved construction constitutes the stripfeeding and cutting device collectively referred to as the unit P; andthis device may be embodied in a wrapping paper fixture, or else appliedto the various fixtures already in general use; and the drawingsillustrate the preferred constructions for each 'of these purposes.

Figures 1 and 2 show a well known form of wrapping paper fixture whereina pair of standards 5 are supported upon feet l0 and connected togetherby a head rail l each standard carries an open bearing member 6 forreceiving the spindle l which passes through the axially bored woodcores 8 conventionally used in wrapping paper rolls such as W. To thehead rail i of this conventional fixture, there is attached a pair ofbrackets l5i5 spaced apart to accommodate the previously described unitP; which is pivoted thereto as indicated at il||. These brackets l5 areprovided with laterally extending wings or face plates l5a through whichpass screws for attaching to the head rail l which is conventionallymade of wood, and hence the user can quite readily make the installationto his own wrapping paper fixture; and for convenience in aligning, Ipreferably provide a small lip e to fit on the underside of the handrail to thus assure proper positioning of the brackets relative to thehead rail. Preferably, the face plates I5a are inwardly disposed, so asto provide for positioning the brackets at the extreme ends of the headrail; that is to say, so that the unit P can be full length of thewrapping paper fixture. For the convenience of illustration I have shownthe fixture, the unit P and the wrapper roll W of different lengths,while in practice they are usually of corresponding lengths.

The wrapper roll W is rotatably mounted on the spindle 1 and as bestseen in Fig. 2, a leading strip L is passed between the blade 24 and thejaw 22 which cooperates therewith to form a pair of gripping jaws forsecurely holding the leading strip L therebetween. It is essentiallynecessary to provide suitable means for holding the paper in rollformation, so that the leading strip will not uncoil when the grippingjaws are moved towards the roll. For this purpose I prefer to employ theU shaped rod 12 which has its two ends outwardly turned and pivoted inthe standards 5, suitable springs l3 sufiicing to urge the member !2against the wrapper roll W, at a point rearwardly of the crest thereof,and as near to the point where the leading strip L tangentially leavesthe wrapper roll, as practical convenience can provide. This member l2serves the two fold purpose of keeping the paper in roll formation andalso acts as a brake to prevent excess rotation of the wrapper roll.

For convenience in passing the leading strip L between the grippingjaws, the jaw 22 is provided with a downwardly turned skirt 23 tofacilitate entrance of the strip, and also to assure that when thewrapper roll is consumed to small diameter, that the leading strip willnot drag over the edge of the gripping jaw 22 which must be ofsufficient width to provide a support for the leading strip when thegripping jaws are opened in the intended operation of the device. Theleading strip L is passed between the opened gripping jaws, which arethen permitted to close so as to hold the paper in contact with theblade 24, which close contact assures efficient and straight tearingwhen the strip is manually torn in the well known manner. When the paperis thus torn off, the situation shown in Fig. 2 will be presented, andfrom the previous description it will be readily understood that whenthe hand of the operator is pressed against the apron 25, the grippingjaws will be opened to release the leading strip, and when the openedgripping jaws are swingingly moved towards the wrapper roll they willpass rearwardly along the strip L to a position such as shown in Fig. 3where the leading strip L protrudes an amount equal to the extent ofswinging movement of the opened gripping jaws, and it will be seen thatthis provides ample grasp for withdrawing the leading strip which mayeither be then grasped, or else, the operator may remove his hand fromthe device, whereupon the gripping jaws will promptly close upon theleading strip and then move forward to the initial position carrying theprotruding strip forward, the springs !8-|8 having sufiicient tension toturn the wrapper roll. In either event, the protruding portion of theleading strip is then grasped and any desired amount of paper is unwoundfrom the wrapper roll by the simple procedure of manually pulling thepaper through the closed jaws, after which the paper is torn off againstthe blade 24; and preferably the jaw 22 is also pro vided with a cuttingedge so that the paper may be torn by either an up or a down motion asthe user may choose; and in either event, the paper is held in closecontact with the cutting edge and consequently the tear will beefficient and straight.

Where heavy wrapping paper is used, the previously describedinstrumentalities are all that is required for efficient operation;however, where thin flimsy wrapping paper is used I provide additionalstructure for obviating the flexing and buckling which is inherent tolight weight paper. For this purpose I support the leading strip on aline just rearwardly of the gripping jaws, and due to the short reachfrom the support to the gripping jaws there is practically no sag in thethin paper when the gripping jaws are opened; and when they areswingably moved backward, the short reach will assure that the paperwill pass freely through the opened jaws without beingflexed or buckledas would otherwise occur were the leading strip not supported near thegripping jaws. This provision is essentially nec essary when'the wrapperroll is consumed to small diameter as illustrated .at D in Fig. 3 whereit will be seen that the leading strip then tangentially leaves thewrapper roll at a point considerably below the gripping jaws.

Figure 3 shows a strip support 28 disposed par-' allel with the grippingjaws and approximately in line therewith. This support is preferably around rod or pipe and it is desirable to loosely mount it for freeturning as the paper is drawn over the same. As here shown, the stripsupport 28 is loosely mounted in a U-shaped projection 26 rising fromthe bracket 15, and of course, each end of the member 28 is similarlysupported. In these same U-shaped projections 25 a gravity bar 21 isfreely slidable up and down so as to yieldably hold the leading strip Lin contact'with the strip support 28; and it should be mentioned that ahardwood slat is sufiicient for the required purpose intended for thegravity bar 21. This construction is simple, efiicient, economical,practical and convenient in use. It will be seen that when the wrapperroll is consumed, the strip support 28 and the gravity bar 27 can withfacility be lifted out of the U-shaped support 21; and after a newwrapper roll is installed, the strip support 28 can with facility bedropped into place and the leading strip L passed thereover and betweenthe opened gripping jaws, after which the gravity bar is dropped intoplace to hold the leading strip in contact with the support so as topreclude inopportune movement of the paper when the gripping jaws areswingingly moved rearwardly in the intended manner. It will be seen fromFig. 3 that this provision maintains a constant direction of the leadingstrip L irrespective of the variable inclination at which the papertangentially leaves the wrapper roll, and that the paper is loosely heldat a point sulficiently near to the gripping jaws to assure: that thinpaper will neither sag, flex nor buckle in the intended operation of thegripping jaws.

Figure 3 also shows the most generally used tearing blade d which isconventionally supported by arms 2 attached to the head rail l andspring urged as indicated at 3; but here these conventionalinstrumentalities are used merely to hold the paper in roll formationand to obviate excess rotation of the wrapper roll, and it will be seenthat these conventional elements are used in reverse position by thesimple procedure of turning the fixture about and applying the bracketsE on the side opposite to the member 4; which serves to illustrate thesimplicity of applying the invention to this type of fixture which hasfor so many years been in general use.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the wrapper roll issupported on the center line of the standards 5, and due to the factthat a full roll of paper weighs several pounds, this presents aninaptitude which has long been known to cause these fixtures to becomeloose and rickety,

not only in their own joints but also in their attachment to the counteror other support to which they are usually attachedby screws.

By experience and experiments I have discovered that due to the factthat several pounds of paper is poised. on the central line of thestandards, that the forward pull of withdrawing the paper from theretarded roll, inherently results in shifting the center of gravityforwardly of the central line of the standards, and that this sets up astress which develops a vibratory force tending to urge the standardsforward and backfixture, a cross piece 3| is rigidly attached in anysuitable manner such as by bolts or screws, and this cross member 3|carries an open bearing support 6' similar to the one shown at 6 in Fig.1, but displaced rearwardly of the center line of the standard 5.Similar construction is provided on each standard, and it will beapparent that in this manner the weight of the wrapper roll is therebysupported rearwardly of the center of the standards 5. In this mannerthe aforementioned poise is eliminated and it will be readily understoodthat when a pull is exerted on the leading strip to unwind it from thewrapper roll, that it is impossible to shift the center of gravityforwardly of the center of the standards 5, and consequently, thepreviously described vibratory stresses are eliminated, no matterwhether the leading strip is unwound from the top of the roll or elsefrom the bottom as here shown.

For economic practicability in attaching the unit P in this improvedconstruction, each cross piece 3| extends forwardly of the standards 5,and the unit P is swingingly mounted as illustrated at H" in the mannerpreviously described. Thus it will be seen that in commercialmanufacture, it would be a very simple procedure to placethe bearingsupport 6' on the cross piece 3| instead of on the standard 5, and thatthe same fixture could be readily adapted to accommodate the unit P,with no more manufacturing effort than is required to make the simplecross piece 3|. Thus the old and the new can be electively produced withbut slight change in manufacturing practice. The cross piece 3lis alsoshown with an additional hole Y, and it will be readily understood thatthis hole and the next one may receive the illustrated screws and thusthe bracket 3| can be attached more forwardly, should such for anyreason be desirable. When thus forwardly attached, the cross pieces 3|then constitute brackets serving the same purpose as the previouslydescribed brackets l5.

Figure 6 shows the unit P directed downwardly, but it will be readilyapparent that it can be merely turned end for end and mounted upright inthe position shown in Fig. 2, and of course it is optional whether themember I2 is employed or else the elements 2-34 which are shown in Fig.3; in fact either of these expedients may be made of suflicient weighttosuffice in the absence of a tension spring, such constructions havingalready come into use in this art. It should also be mentioned that forthe present purposes, it is not necessary that the blade 4 extendentirely across the wrapper roll; any expedient which will hold thepaper in roll formation and also obviate excess rotation of the wrapperroll, is fully sufficient for the required purposes. However, it isimportant that any such member should contact the roll at a pointimmediately rearward of the line at which the leading strip Ltangentially leaves the wrapper roll; for otherwise such member wouldinadvertently retract the leading strip from between the grippingjawswhen they were opened in the intended operation of the device. Toillustrate this requisite, Fig. 6 includes a phantom showing of a fullsize wrapper roll at F, half consumed at H, and the consumed roll at'E,with the tangent direction of the leading strip indicated at L in eachinstance; and it will be seen that the pivotal axis of the member i2 isappropriately situated so as to cause this member to contact the wrapperroll more near to the tangent points of the leading strip L than wouldotherwise occur were the similar elements 234 of Fig. 3 pivoted outsidethe diameter of the full roll, as there shown, which is the generalpractice. This favorable point of contact enhances the efficiency of theoperation of the device, for the reason thatthe shorter the leadingstrip the less it tends to flex and buckle.

In some instances it is desirable to attach the device to the undersideof a support such as a counter or shelf, in the manner as it wouldappear if the drawing Was held upside down. It will be seen that theshowing in Fig. 6 is operatable in the inverted position, except thatthe bearing support 6 would need to be disposed with the open sideoppositely. For this purpose the bearing support 6' can be inverted bymerely transferring the cross pieces 3! to the opposite standards, asthe bearing members 6 are necessarily left and right and can thereforebe inverted when transposed as suggested. The man ner of inverting theshowings in the other figures will be readily apparent.

When the invention is manufactured as a complete fixture, the embodimentshown in Fig. 4 is the preferred form, and a vertical section thereof isshown in Fig. 5 where the various diameters of the decreasing roll areshown in phantom at F, H and E as before described. My experiments andexperiences have proven that when the wrapper roll is disposedrearwardly of the center of the standards that it is convenient andpractical to eliminate the conventional feet In which are shown inFigures 1, 2, 3 and 6, and to also eliminate the conventional head railI, and also eliminate the upper half of the standards, and at the sametime produce a light weight device which is more sturdy and durable thanthe conventional fixture and also of more elegant appearance. For thispurpose I prefer to employ a pair of standards 35 having a T-shapedconfiguration as shown in Fig. 5, and each of these standards isprovided with an inwardly extending base 3%. Rearwardly of the center ofeach standard 38, an open bearing support 6a is provided for the spindlel; and for wardly of the center of eachstandard, the unit P isswingingly mounted at H in the previously described manner. Any suitablemeans may be employed for holding the paper in roll formation, as forinstance, the previously described member l2 spring urged at I3, isillustrated in Fig. 5. The strip deflecting member 28 extends fromstandard to standard and may be either rigidly connected thereto, orelse, more preferably, pivoted therein; as for instance in Fig. 4 theends of the member 28 are internally threaded and bolts 28a pass throughthe respective standards and engage within the member 28' which is thenfree to turn on the shanks of these bolts as pivots. This constructionassures a constant spacing of the brackets 30 and assures that they willbe properly spaced when the user mounts the device on the necessarysupport in the well known manner by means of suitable screws passedthrough each of the inwardly extending base portions 3011. Near the endof each base 39a, a spring member 29 is disposed in cooperative relationwith the strip deflecting member 28' to thereby hold the leading stripin contact with the member 28' and thus obviate inopportune movement ofthe paper when the unit P is swingingly moved towards the wrapper rollin the intended manner.

It will be seen that this construction requires fewer parts than theothers and affords a more elegant appearance which is quite desirable inmodern store equipment. Furthermore, the device is exceedingly sturdyand entirely free from the previously explained common fault of becomingrickety.

It will be apparent that the invention is susceptible of a variety ofembodiments and readily adaptable to numerous-modes of manufacturingpreference, and utilization.

In each of the drawings, it will be seen that the described unit P issupported on a pivotal axis which is between the axis of the wrapperroll and the forward crest thereof; and that from this pivotal axis, theunit P extends towards either the top or bottom of the wrapper roll andwith the apron 25 disposed approximately on the vertical tangent to thefront of the full size wrapper roll. In this manner, none of the partsproject forwardly of the full roll of paper, and consequently, theconstruction obviates tearing of the clothing and snagging of the skinof workers who crowd past each other in narrow aisles where wrappingpaper fixtures are commonly situated. It will also be seen that thiscompact arrangement of the parts is due to the fact that the arms l5 arespaced apart and positioned astraddle the ends of the wrapper roll. Itwill also be seen that since the arms it are spaced apart to straddlethe wrapper roll, that the latter can with facility be introducedtherebetween and passed rearwardly to the required position of the openbearing members, without any impediment or inconvenience in installingthe wrapper roll in the fixture.

It is quite generally known in this art that nine inches is the standarddiameter of all rolls of wrapping paper, and all wrapping papermanufacturers adhere to that well established standard; therefore, it isconveniently practical to make the present invention so as to conform tothat well established standard, and avoid having any of the partsproject forwardly of a full roll of standard diameter wrapping paper.

In the present disclosure, I claim as my inven tion:

1. In a wrapping paper fixture having standards carrying means forsupporting a roll of wrapping paper and means to hold the paper in rollformation; a pair of arms spaced apart and positioned so as to setastraddle the ends of a roll of wrapping paper mounted in operativeposition in the fixture, said arms swingingly mounted on individualpivots supported in a fixed location relative to the fixture, a pair ofcooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, said gripping jaws andsaid arms and said pivots disposed entirely rearward of a vertical planetangent to the front of a full roll of standard diameter wrapping papermounted in the fixture, spring means for actuating said gripping jawsand for'urging said arms to swing forward, and stop means confining saidarms and said gripping jaws to the space rearwardly of said verticaltangent plane, said gripping jaws and said arms being positioned so asto provide a free open space therebetween sufficient to aiford clearancefor through passage of a full roll of wrapping paper.

2. In a wrapping paper fixture having standards carrying means forsupporting a roll of wrapping paper and means to hold the paper in rollformation; a pair or arms spaced apart and positioned so as to setastraddle the ends of a roll of wrapping paper mounted in operativeposition in the fixture, said arms swingingly mounted on individualpivots supported in a fixed location relative to the fixture, a pair ofcooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, said gripping jaws andsaid arms and said pivots disposed entirely rearward of a vertical planetangent to the front of a full roll of standard diameter wrapping papermounted in the fixture, a strip supporting member disposed rearwardly ofsaid gripping jaws and positioned so as to maintain the leading strip ata constant distance from the axis of the roll of wrapping paper, meansfor yieldably holding the leading strip of paper in constant contactwith said strip supporting member, spring means for actuating saidgripping jaws and for urging said arms to swing forward, and stop meansconfining said arms and said gripping jaws to the space rearwardly ofsaid vertical tangent plane.

3. A wrapper feeding and cutting device comprising a pair of arms spacedapart and adapted to set astraddle the ends of a roll of wrapping paper,a pair of cooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, a pair ofbrackets, said arms swingingly mounted upon the respective brackets bymeans of individual pivots, each of said brackets having a laterallyextending wing for rigid attachment to the head rail of a conventionalwrapping paper fixture, said wings having such angular relation to saidbrackets that when said wings are rigidly fixed to the head rail of aconventional wrapping paper fixture, the lower ends of said bracketswill be disposed entirely rearward of a vertical plane tangent to thefront of a full roll of standard diameter wrapping paper mounted in thefixture, spring means for actuating said gripping jaws and for urgingsaid arms upon their pivots, and stop means confining said arms and saidgripping jaws to the space rearwardly of said vertical tangent plane.

4. A wrapper feeding and cutting device comprising a pair of arms spacedapart to straddle a roll of paper, a pair of cooperating gripping awscarried by said arms, a pair of brackets, said arms pivotally mountedupon the respective brackets, said brackets adapted to be rigidlyattached to a wrapping paper fixture, spring means for actuating saidgripping jaws and for urging said arms upon their pivots to carry saidgripping aws away from a roll of paper carried by the fixture, aU-shaped bearing member on the inner face of each of said brackets, astrip supporting member and a cooperating gravity bar loosely mounted insaid U-shaped bearing members.

5. In a wrapping paper fixture having standards carrying means forsupporting a roll of wrapping paper and means to hold the paper in rollformation; a pair of pivotally mounted arms spaced apart to straddle theroll of paper, a pair of co-operating gripping jaws carried by saidarms, a strip supporting member disposed rearwardly of said grippingjaws, a gravity bar cooperating with said strip supporting member, apair of U-shaped bearing members loosely supporting the ends of saidstrip supporting member and said cooperating gravity bar.

6.- A wrapping paper fixture comprising a pair of short standards, astrip deflecting member spacing said standards apart, each of saidstandards having an inwardly projecting base portion integral therewith,spring means carried by said base portions and in cooperative relationwith said strip deflecting member, an open bearing support on eachstandard, each of said bearing supports correspondingly displacedrearwardly from the center of its standard and at the top thereof, apair of arms pivoted upon the respective standards at pointscorrespondingly displaced forwardly from the center of the respectivestandards and at the top thereof, a pair of cooperating gripping jawscarried by said arms, spring means for actuating said jaws and forurging said arms to swing forward, said arms and said gripping jawsoperating in the space rearwardly of a perpendicular plane tangent tothe front of a full size roll of paper mounted in said bearing supports,and a roll contacting member extending rearwardly of said standards andbelow said bearing supports.

'7. A wrapping paper fixture comprising a pair of standards spaced apartto accommodate a roll of wrapping paper, a pair of cross pieces rigidlyattached to the respective standards, a pair of bearing supports for awrapper roll, said bearing supports positioned on the rear ends of therespective cross pieces, a pair of arms swingingly mounted on individualpivots at the front ends of the respective cross pieces, a pair ofcooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, said cross pieces andsaid arms and said gripping jaws being disposed entirely rearward of avertical plane tangent to the front of a full roll of standard diameterwrapping paper mounted in said bearing supports, spring means foractuating said jaws and for urging said arms to swing forward, stopmeans confining said arms. and said gripping jaws to the spacerearwardly of said vertical tangent plane, and a roll contacting memberprojecting rearwardly of said standards.

8. A wrapper feeding and cutting device comprising a pair of arms spacedapart and adapted to set astraddle the ends of a roll of wrapping paper,a pair of cooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, a pair ofbrackets, said arms swingingly mounted on the ends of the respectivebrackets by means of individual pivots, a pair of bearing supports for awrapper, roll, said bearing supports positioned on the opposite ends ofthe respective brackets, said brackets adapted to be rigidly attached tothe standards of a wrapping paper fixture, said brackets being of lesslength than the radius of a full roll of standard diameter wrappingpaper, spring means for actuating said gripping jaws and for urging saidarms upon their pivots in a direction opposite to said bearing supports,and stop means confining said arms and said gripping jaws to the spacerear-- wardly of a vertical plane tangent to the front of a full roll ofstandard diameter wrapping paper mounted in said bearing supports.

9. A wrapper feeding and cutting device comprising a pair of arms spacedapart and adapted to set a straddle the ends of a roll of wrappingpaper, a pair of cooperating gripping jaws carried by said arms, a pairof brackets, said arm swingingly mounted upon the respective brackets bymeans of individual pivots, each of said brackets having a laterallyextending wing for rigid attachment to the head rail of a conventionalwrapping paper fixture, a lip on each of said wings for aligning thesame to such head rail, said wings the front of a full roll of standarddiameter wrapping paper mounted in the fixture, spring means foractuating said gripping jaws and for urging said arms upon their pivots,and stop means confining said arms and said gripping 1o jaws to thespace rearwardly of said vertical tangent plane.

FRANK H. LAWTON.

